Can't Let You Go
by missB-real
Summary: She didn't want to remember him, but she couldn't seem to shake him. As much as he wanted to let her go, he knew he'd always love her... why couldn't fate just leave them alone? CHAPTER 7 UP NOW! Read and review please!
1. Ol' Blue Eyes

Ok, so this is my first story ever!! I'm still not sure what to name it yet, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I hope you all enjoy and read and review please! I appreciate the feedback.

Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical or any of the actors/character names or places used in this story.

Chapter 1: Ol' Blue Eyes

_Beep… Beep… Beep_…

It never failed…every morning at 6 a.m., Gabriella Montez was always awakened from her not-so-peaceful slumber to begin another tedious day in what had become her very ordinary life. She could not escape it, not even for one morning…her body was used to its routine, and even on the days she wasn't scurrying from trauma room to trauma room saving people's lives at the local county hospital ER, she still arose each morning faithfully at 6 a.m.

This morning, however, she felt like cursing…and she did.

"Damn…"

She'd suffered through another restless night of sleep and as she dragged herself out from underneath the warmth of her down comforter and felt the biting December cold chill her bare feet, she cursed again. This time for letting herself remember… _him_.

Yes, _him_. She couldn't figure out why he kept invading her thoughts or why she just couldn't let his memory die like all the others. It had been over ten years since she'd met him…the one person she ever truly felt herself with. The one person who had allowed her to escape from the monotony of her life as a social butterfly and actually spread her wings and truly fly. He was the first boy she'd ever kissed, the only boy she'd ever really loved, and since him, she'd rarely allowed herself to open up to any man like that again. Except once, and well…let's just say that didn't turn out too well.

Gabriella walked to her bathroom, feeling her feet grow colder with every step she took on the bare hardwood floor of her one-room studio apartment. She turned on the shower and after letting it heat up a moment, she stepped underneath the jets of steaming hot water and allowed it to wash over her… cleansing her, purging her of all the memories of her past life…but there was one that no matter how much the water stung or how hard she scrubbed, she could never get rid of.

She turned around in the shower reaching for her shampoo and lathered the coconut-scented liquid into her hair and closed her eyes, instantly seeing _him_. She saw him just as he had been in her dreams…his boyish smile, his shaggy blond hair that fell over his face ever-so-slightly, and those eyes…oh those beautiful blue eyes that still after 10 years had the ability to penetrate deep into her soul and captivate her, and even now, the thought brought a small smile to her lips.

"Ol' blue eyes" is what she'd playfully called him sometimes. The nickname had been fitting in more ways than one…it had been hers and hers alone and she only used it when it was just the two of them together. And he was the only one she'd ever allowed to call her by the nickname her father had given her when she was just a tot, and he was still alive… "Gabi." Yep, he was her "blue eyes" and she was his "Gabi" and they had been everything to each other, until…

Gabriella sighed, turned off the taps in the shower, wrapped herself up in a towel, and stood still for a moment in the middle of the steamy bathroom. She had to admit…she really did miss him. She missed all of them: Taylor, Chad, Kelsi, Jason, Zeke…even those pesky Evans twins. And for a moment, she imagined herself walking through those doors of East High School…laughing again, so happy and carefree, uncertain of the future but not really caring, just loving life as it was at that moment with the first people she had ever really been able to call friends…and _him_. She thought back to the moment she fell in love…that night on that stage when he'd held her hand in front of a theater full of people and sang to her with loving eyes and helped her break free…

Gabriella snapped her eyes open and silently chastised herself for being so childish. She wiped off the condensation collecting on her bathroom mirror and looked at her reflection. She had grown up and no longer looked like the carefree 16-year-old she'd been 10 years ago. No…her chocolate eyes were still chocolate but the life inside them was long gone. She no longer recognized the shy girl who'd let go of her inhibitions and embraced life with eager arms. She was still a bit shy, but she was also sad…and lonely. There was no time for friends or relationships anymore because now, she had responsibilities and obligations, which meant she didn't have time for senseless trips down memory lane, and she soon busied herself getting ready for work. She walked out the door and ran to her car in the early morning cold. She started it quickly turning the heat on full blast trying to warm herself up, but she knew it was useless. Not because of the car, but because she hadn't really felt warm in years and knew no amount of heat could replace the coldness in her heart. The only thing that could do that was…

Before she would let herself utter his name, she pulled out of the parking lot and turned her car down the street towards the hospital, towards another day in the E.R., and another day of "Ol' blue eyes" haunting her thoughts.


	2. Stolen Memories

**Ok, so I received a few reviews for the first chapter and I must say I was very excited to see that people are actually reading my story. So thanks you guys for the reviews and encouragement...keep 'em coming! Here's the second chapter...sorry it took me forever to update, but the site was trippin' this weekend. Anywho...enjoy! **

Chapter 2: Stolen Memories

The cotton sheets were scrunched, ruffled and bunched in every which way imaginable; he had flipped and fluffed his pillows countless times, tried every comfortable position imaginable, and had almost conceded to downing a bottle of Nyquil just so he could stop his mind from its endless wandering. But nothing seemed to work…because every time Troy Bolton tried to close his weary blue eyes, he saw the same reoccurring vision of the same brown-eyed, curly-haired girl staring right back at him, forcing his eyes open once again…defeated and haunted by the ghost of his past that just wouldn't go away.

Troy just couldn't understand why Gabriella Montez wouldn't leave him alone.

_Get a hold of yourself, Troy. It's been ten years for goodness sake…let it go_.

But the truth was he didn't want to let it go.

Shoot, he'd been holding on now for nearly ten years; holding on to the same futile hope that someday he would build up enough courage to find her wherever she was, talk to her and tell her how much he still loved her…how he'd never stopped loving her in the first place.

But then he'd remember…remember that he was now much older and long lost were the carefree days of his youth when all that had really mattered to him then was just being. He'd hadn't had to worry about bills and mortgages, waking early every morning for his tedious commute to work, or even what he was going to eat. Troy marveled at how easy it was for him to forget he was even hungry now that he didn't have the luxury of his mother cooking his meals for him anymore.

"Ugh…" Troy groaned as he glanced at the alarm clock resting on his bedside table.

_5:24 a.m._

Sleep was out of the question at this point, so Troy rolled grudgingly out of bed, and resigned to the fact that _she_ had won once again, and now he was up with little less than an hour left before he was due to get up anyway and start preparing for his day at work.

Troy couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten a decent night's sleep. He seemed to dream about her more and more lately, and for some reason, his dreams always kept him awake. He always saw a vision of her in all her beauty; her rich, chocolate hair cascading over her shoulders in loose waves, her smile illuminating everything around her, and her bubbly laughter ringing softly in his ears. But each dream always ended the same, with her always walking away from him as he reached out to her with open arms only to be left standing alone in the cold, heartbroken.

And each morning, Troy cursed himself for letting her leave. Why hadn't he just had the guts to tell her how he felt? Ten years ago, he'd let his foolish pride get in the way, and now as he stood gazing out his bedroom window watching the reds, oranges, and yellows of the morning sunrise illuminate downtown Albuquerque, he felt just as stupid.

Here he was, twenty-six years old and still pining over his high school sweetheart.

But for Troy, it was more than that. Gabi had been more to him than just another girlfriend; she'd been something more than words could adequately describe. He couldn't put a label on her, because none ever seemed to fit. She was a part of him, and he'd foolishly just let her walk out of his life, and with her had gone all his hopes for ever finding true happiness.

In ten years, he'd never found anyone remotely close who could replace her. His friends had tried countless times to set him up; Jason, Taylor and Zeke were always hooking him up on blind dates during his college years at the University of New Mexico, and he'd even gone so far as to date Sharpay for a few months his sophomore year. But that had ended as quickly as it started when she moved to New York to pursue her acting career…Troy told everyone it was the distance, but his friends knew better. Who had he been kidding?

Troy stood in the silence of his bedroom as he remembered a conversation he had with Sharpay just days before they called it quits:

"You know Troy," she'd said as they were walking arm in arm down the streets of Albuquerque one evening, "I would've given anything a few years ago to be with you."

"Really?" Troy asked. He'd always known Sharpay had a thing for him, but he'd never taken the time to notice her. No, he'd always been too concerned with…

"Yeah, and even now, it's still hard for me to believe that we're actually together." She paused for a second, reminiscing over the years she'd harbored a secret crush for Troy, and how she would've killed for the chance to be right where she was now then. But even as she walked down the street with him, she knew something was off.

She glanced up at Troy who seemed to be deep in thought; he had that faraway look in his eye; the kind of look he always got when he was thinking about _her_. Sharpay resented the fact that even now Gabriella was getting in the way of her chance to be happy with Troy. She had waited patiently for years, and had even thought for a while in high school that she might actually have a chance. She even remembered a time she overheard Troy tell Chad he thought she was cute. But then Gabriella came into the picture and dashed all her hopes of ever being Troy's girlfriend. And now, two years after high school, she was getting in the way again.

Sharpay sighed loudly, and abruptly stopped walking, snapping Troy out of his reverie.

"What's wrong now Troy?" she spat with exasperation as she turned to face him. She was fed up. Why couldn't he just get over her?

"Huh?" Troy blinked. He'd been daydreaming again about Gabriella and Sharpay had noticed. He tried to play it off, as always, but the look Sharpay was giving him, seemed to say to him she'd had enough, and her hazel eyes, which were usually so bright and full of laughter, looked back at him unflinchingly, demanding the truth. It was time to set the record straight.

Sharpay stood glaring at Troy, refusing to back down until he gave her an answer. There was no sweet-talking his way out of this one.

So he sighed, taking Sharpay's hand and led her over to a nearby bench. He sat down and looked at her for a moment, realizing this was the first time he'd actually taken the time to notice her. There was no doubt Sharpay was a beautiful girl, what with her long blond hair and those gorgeous doe eyes of hers, but she was no Gabriella, and as much as he knew it would hurt her to tell her so, he knew he had no choice.

"Sharpay…" Troy began, "I really do like you. You're a great girl and any guy would be lucky to have you…" Troy looked down at his hands, mustering up the courage to say what he knew needed to be said.

"But…" Sharpay held her breath, fearing the words she knew would inevitably come next.

"But, I- I can't keep pretending that there's something here when there isn't." Troy glanced at Sharpay, who was silent…crying. "I don't want to hurt you, but I know if I keep this up, that's what's gonna happen." Troy took a deep breath, and looked down, too afraid to face Sharpay, who by now had turned away to look in the opposite direction.

"You're still in love with her, aren't you?" Her question had caught him off guard, cutting the silence that had enveloped them both. He lifted his head up and looked at Sharpay who was staring at him with patient eyes.

He didn't say anything, just nodded.

They were quiet again, and he was suddenly surprised to feel Sharpay's hand on his shoulder, and she took her finger and lifted his chin to look at her face.

"It's okay, Troy. I understand," she said in a shaky voice, just barely above a whisper. "I guess a part of me always knew that you were still in love with her. I just hoped that maybe I could make you happy enough to forget." A salty tear slowly rolled down her flushed cheek, and Troy reached out to wipe it away.

"I'm so sorry Sharpay for hurting you. I never meant to hurt you…I promise," Troy pleaded. He needed her to know that he'd never intended to cause her any pain.

Sharpay looked at him with apologetic eyes, and nodded her head silently. "I know you didn't." She closed her eyes for a second and breathed in deeply. She once thought Troy was her "Prince Charming," her perfect guy, but now as she sat next to him, she realized that he was just as broken and vulnerable as everyone else. He'd had his heart stolen by a girl he was still in love with, and for the first time ever, Sharpay actually felt sorry for him.

She looked at him for a second longer before standing up, brushing away the last of her tears. She turned to look at Troy who now stood staring back at her with questioning eyes. She smiled softly at him, and Troy gave her a lopsided grin as she pulled him close to her in a tight hug. She felt his arms close around her, and she closed her eyes momentarily reveling in his touch. She knew she'd probably never feel those arms again, but that was okay. She'd find love again…she only hoped Troy would also.

Soon after that night, Sharpay announced that she was planning to move to New York so she could live out her dream of performing on Broadway. Troy went to see her the day she left Albuquerque, and as she left to board her plane, they both agreed to just be friends.

But ever since then, Troy had given up on dating. Besides a short-lived attempt at finding love on one of those Internet dating sites (which he did at Chad's suggestion), Troy figured love just couldn't exist for him.

"What's the point?" he thought out loud, as he walked away from the sun rising outside his bedroom window, and banished his memories back to the dark corners of the recesses of his mind where they belonged.

Love and dating just didn't matter to him anymore because for Troy, his heart just wasn't in it, and he knew it. Because he had given it away ten years ago on that stage at East High as he sang to the woman he still loved, the two of them breaking free…and he hadn't gotten it back ever since.

**Like it? Hate it? Let me know! Your suggestions and constructive criticism help me when it comes to writing the next chapters, so please let me know how you're liking the story! 'Til next time...PEACE!**


	3. Here's to New Beginnings

**Alright, I'm back with a new chapter...sorry that it's such a short chapter, but it's been a while since I've posted aything on here, so I thought I'd just give you all a short chapter to tide you over until I can really focus on finishing this story. So until I get finished with this semester of school, you guys have got to bear with me. But I hope you all enjoy this chapter and keep those reviews coming!!**

Chapter 3: Here's to New Beginnings

"So Gab…what's it gonna be? You should really join us tonight girl…it'll be fun and I know you don't have nothing else to do except sit at home and be lonely, and you haven't been on a date in God knows when…"

Gabriella just rolled her eyes playfully at her friend. It was the same conversation every weekend…Tracy would never-failingly try to convince Gabriella to come out with the rest of the girls from the ER staff, reminding her that she was 26 and _still_ single with no prospects in mind and that a fun night at the bar with everyone else would help her unwind. And every weekend, Gabriella would give Tracy the same response…

"No thanks, Trace…I'm just not in the mood to go out tonight."

"Gabriella, you're _never_ in the mood to go out. You know, I'm starting to think you really don't like me," Tracy remarked jokingly, but truth be told, Tracy was starting to get a little flustered with her friend. Ok, sure…Gabriella was a bit of a loner, and yes, she could be a bit anal and obsessive at times on the job, but underneath all those brains, Tracy believed there was a sweet and eager young woman, desperate to have fun, and maybe, just maybe, fall in love again.

Tracy was one of the few people Gabriella could truly call a friend. Since she'd moved to Chicago to attend medical school, there had been few people Gabriella felt she could trust. The two had met while they were both interning as residents. Tracy always joked saying she was only Gabriella's friend because she was the smartest person in their class, but underneath all the jokes, Tracy was the only person with whom Gabriella felt comfortable enough sharing the most intimate details of her life and the two had become fast friends. Tracy was the only other person who understood her fears, celebrated with her in her successes, and knew of her secret heartache…Tracy reminded Gabi of the only other true friends she'd ever had and was grateful for their friendship, no matter how bossy and pushy Tracy could get sometimes.

"Come on Gab-ri-ella,.." Tracy pleaded, batting her eyelashes. "You know you wanna come…please?"

Gabriella stared into her empty coffee cup with a look of indecisiveness as she pondered how mediocre her life had truly become, and for what reason?! What was she doing passing up an opportunity like this? _You deserve a night out…_

But at the same time, thoughts of the past filtered through her head, and all she could think about was those blue eyes penetrating her soul. Part of her wanted to forget all about him and begin a new life, find love again… but there was another part, that side of her that couldn't let go of him or the dream that he would somehow waltz back into her life and sweep her off her feet just as he'd promised all those years ago.

Gabriella turned to look at her friend. Tracy's chocolate-colored eyes shined brightly with hope as she gave Gabriella her signature grin.

Gabriella sighed… it _had_ been a while since she'd gone out with her friend, and it wasn't like she was really going to be doing anything else that night except devouring another pint full of Ben and Jerry's ice cream and watching re-runs of "ER" and thinking about…

"Alright, alright…I'll go," she whispered in a timid, unconvincing voice. Gabriella winced as the words came out of her mouth. She hoped she wouldn't regret her decision, but it was now or never…she'd spent too many years of her life pining over him and it was high time she moved on.

"What?" Tracy asked incredulously. "Did you really just say you would go out?" She looked at her friend with a shocked look on her face. She couldn't remember the last time Gabriella had actually agreed to go out with her.

"Yes, I really just said I would go out with you tonight."

"Well good cause it's about time!" _Actually it's past time…_

"Well, thanks… way to make me feel good about myself," Gabriella muttered under her breath. She knew it had been a long time since she'd last gone out, but it hadn't been _that_ long…had it?

"Oh you know I didn't mean it like that, Gabs, but you have to admit, it's time you started having fun. You can't expect to spend the rest of your life holed up in some one-bedroom studio apartment pining over your high school sweetheart and I refuse to let you do so," Tracy said emphatically.

**Alrighty people...let me know what you think and be honest...constructive criticism is good for the author's soul! Peace out y'all!**

**missB-real**


	4. Here's to New Beginnings, Part 2

**Alright, so I decided to do a second part to the last chapter. I'm one step closer to reuniting Troy and Gabriella in this story, so think of these last two chapters as fillers, to help flesh out the story and set the tone for what's to come. I hope you people are liking what you're reading so far, and for those of you who like to read and not review, please do review!!! It's good for my artistic ego! (j/k) But really, it's always nice to know that people are reading and liking the story. But anyway, enough of me jabbering...on with the show...**

Chapter 4:

Here's to New Beginnings, Part 2

Troy stared aimlessly out the window of his 5-star hotel room at the majestic buildings that made up the Chicago city skyline, and sighed.

Another day, another business trip, and another lonesome night sitting around watching pay-per-view movies and eating Chinese take-out.

Troy couldn't help but wonder when his life had become so… boring. He was blessed; there was no doubt about that. He had a great job as one of the top executives at a leading Fortune 500 company, had the respect of his colleagues, friends, and family, and enough money to even buy his ultimate dream car: a yellow Lamborghini (Troy now resented having spent so much money on something he barely even used)…but for some reason, Troy just wasn't happy. In fact, he was downright miserable and no one, not even he, could figure out why.

It wasn't that he didn't like his job; no, as a matter of fact, he actually really liked his job. He had had the opportunity to experience things he'd never thought possible and done things no one else he knew could have even dreamed of; he'd traveled all over the world from everywhere to Australia to Kenya and had done it all by the time he was 26 years old. But there was one thing he envied about all his colleagues and friends; Troy hated returning home from his various "vacations" to an empty home because it only reminded him that everyone had someone…everyone except him, that is. All of his friends from high school had gotten married: Jason and Kelsi had gotten hitched soon after college and Ryan was engaged to one of the co-stars from his latest film. Even Chad had settled down; after years of "playing the field" and dancing around each other, Chad and Taylor had finally gotten married, something the two of them had vowed never to do, and now, they were happily married and expecting their first child.

Troy had been best man at their wedding and now remembered vaguely how he had hoped that Gabriella would come. He'd planned out everything: how he would approach her, what he would say to her after all those years, and how the two of them would fall in love all over again…just like kindergarten.

But, she never showed, and ever since that day, Troy had been trying desperately, and to no avail, to erase every memory of her from his brain…every smile, every embrace, every kiss…

_Aww crap…you're doing it again Troy…you're thinking about her… _

He really just couldn't understand it. Here he was, a very eligible bachelor with a good job, his own place, a nice car and good looks, and yet he was still very much alone. He hadn't actually gone out in God knows when, and he surely couldn't remember the last time he'd been on a date. He was either too busy to even think about dating, or too busy thinking about _you-know-who_ to bother.

And that's when it hit him…a revelation that struck him as profoundly as a bolt of lightning, and for the first time in what seemed like 10 years, his thoughts actually made sense.

_The only way you're ever gonna get over her Bolton is if you make the first step…and the first step is getting out of this hotel room._

And with that, Troy grabbed his coat and walked out the door with a newfound determination to finally put his past to rest and embrace his future with open arms. As the door closed shut behind him, he walked towards the elevator with a fresh spring in his step, and he felt the smallest sliver of a smile tugging at his lips.

Oh, he was going to have fun tonight, he thought triumphantly as his smirk blossomed into a full-out grin, and he punched the buttons that led the elevator to the hotel's ground floor.

_Yep, tonight is going to be a good night… and there isn't anything Gabriella can do about it._

**Ok now people, here's the part you've all been waiting for...it's time for you to go ahead and push that little button right to the left of your computer screen and let me know what you think! Hope you liked this chapter, sorry if it's a little short...the next one will be coming soon, and I promise it will be much longer. Until then...peace!**

**MissB-real**


	5. Fancy Seeing You Again

**Hello people!! Since you all were so kind in giving me such nice reviews for the last chapter, I decided to acquiesce to your requests and update with a new one! I hope you all enjoy it!**

**Chapter 5: Fancy Seeing You Again**

Gabriella scurried around her apartment, looking for something, _anything_, to wear. Tracy was coming to pick her up at exactly 8 o'clock and it was already 7:45 p.m. and she was nowhere near ready.

Her chestnut locks were wrapped snugly in a towel atop her head, and every item of clothing she owned was now strewn across her floor, and Gabriella couldn't help but chuckle as she thought about what her friend had said earlier…it really had been a long time since she'd gone out.

"Dang it! Why is this so difficult?!" she cried out in frustration. She sighed loudly and fell out across her bed. Instantly, she thought she would be better off staying at home like she always did, and was tempted to call Tracy and cancel their plans altogether.

But then she remembered _him_ and how she really didn't want to spend another night alone reminiscing and regretting the past…Tracy's words had set off in her a chain reaction of emotions that had struck Gabriella as profoundly as a shot to the heart; she _had_ wasted too much of her life pining over Troy and it had cost her so much: her happiness, a chance at love, and her friends. She had given up her relationships with the best friends she had ever head because of him.

As she lay there pondering up several reasons why she should hate Troy (and desperately wishing she really could), she remembered regrettably the wedding invitation she'd received in the mail a year ago from Taylor and Chad; she'd been surprised that they had even thought to invite her at all. It had been years since she'd spoken to either one of them, and even longer since she'd been home to Albuquerque to visit. So she had been utterly excited at the thought of attending Taylor and Chad's wedding and reuniting with her old buddies from East High.

But then fear had crept in as she suddenly thought about Troy; the fear that she would inevitably have to see him again, the fear of having to confront all of the feelings, emotions, and heartache of their relationship… and the fear of having to possibly see him with another woman. All these unspoken worries had consumed her so to the point that she was nervously overwhelmed with anxiety, dowsing her excitement with dread until she ultimately made the decision not to attend. Instead, she had spent the day in bed, crying into her pillows and feeling sorry for herself.

To this day, she hadn't forgiven herself for abandoning her best friend. She hoped Taylor wouldn't hold a grudge against her, but she'd never mustered up the courage to call her best friend and find out.

Gabriella rolled over onto her side, wincing as a hanger poked her in the side. She glanced at the red numbers on her alarm clock…

_7:52 p.m. _

"Shoot!"

Tracy would be there any minute, and Gabriella did not want her friend to find her like this, still undressed and feeling depressed, as usual because she had gotten caught up thinking about the past… _again_.

She bolted up from her bed, snapping herself awake from her memories and quickly chose something to wear, not really caring anymore what she looked like. She dressed herself in record time, finished drying her hair, and was putting the finishing touches on her makeup when she heard a loud knock at the door.

Gabriella grabbed her purse and keys, took one final glance at her reflection in the mirror, and plastered a convincing smile on her face. She looked at the clock…8 o'clock on the dot.

She opened the door and there was Tracy, wearing a grin that looked remarkably similar to the one of that Cheshire cat from _Alice in Wonderland_; she was more than pleasantly surprised to see that her friend had not decided to change her mind.

"You ready?" she asked excitedly… Tracy was eager to get the night started but even more eager for her friend to enjoy a night out. She was going to do everything in her power that night to make sure Gabriella had a good time.

Gabriella took one last look over her shoulder at her apartment as she put on her coat and locked the door closed behind her.

"Yep," she replied. "Ready as I'll ever be."

And with that, they were off to a night of fun and mayhem. Gabriella only prayed as she walked arm in arm down the hall with Tracy that her memories of Troy would not come out that night to haunt her; she had waited too long for a night out like this, and she wasn't going to let him ruin it for her anymore than he had to.

_Club Paradise…hmmm, I could use a bit of paradise right about now_, Troy thought wearily as he practically leapt through the front doors of the building to escape the chill of the biting December Chicago cold.

Troy looked around and took in his surroundings: he had been hoping to see something a bit more…tropical; instead all he saw were a few strategically placed artificial palm trees, some very interesting pineapple arrangements hanging from the ceiling, and a few barmaids, who were less than attractive and obviously too old, inappropriately wearing grass skirts and coconut bras. There were probably a total of 15 people in the whole place, and most of them looked to be well over the age of forty. Troy felt oddly out of place and couldn't help but wonder at his luck.

_So much for a fun night out_, he thought dismally, as he turned on his heel to leave while his pride was still intact.

But just as he placed his hand on the door to go, he heard her voice in the back of his mind, taunting him, teasing him in that oh-so-annoying manner saying, "I told you so."

Oh no, he wasn't going to let her win that easily, and with that he turned triumphantly around and marched right over to the bar, all the while keeping score in his head.

He was up by one.

Two hours and a few margaritas later, Troy was starting to loosen up. The crowd at Club Paradise had significantly grown in the time since he'd been there, and the older more mature crowd and had been replaced by a much younger and more vibrant group with several attractive and several scantily clad females throwing lustful glances his way.

Troy was actually starting to think that coming out hadn't been such a bad idea; he had joined the company of a few University of Chicago sorority girls who had charmed him into buying them drinks all while they inflated his bruised ego. Gee, Troy was so comfortably drunk that he was even thinking about signing up for karaoke. And the best thing about the whole night was Troy had forgotten all about the brown-eyed girl who had haunted his dreams for years; for the first time in a long time, he didn't feel lonely and he was loving every minute of it.

"So Trace, where exactly are we going?" Gabriella asked with a slight air of frustration, while looking inquisitively at her friend. They had, for some reason unbeknownst to her, decided to walk the "few blocks" to wherever they were going. The "few blocks" had turned into more like ten, and Gabriella could feel her toes beginning to freeze in her boots. She had lived in Chicago for nearly six years now, but that didn't change the fact that she just couldn't get used to city's blisteringly cold winters. It was in times like these that she wished for the balmy temperatures of Albuquerque.

"We're almost there, I promise," Tracy said cheerily not noticing the irritation in her friend's voice.

"Tracy, we were almost there four blocks ago, and quite frankly I'm getting tired of walking. I just don't understand why one of us couldn't have just driven to wherever the heck it is we're going, and I don't understand why you would insist on walking when it's less than twenty degrees outside!! You must be trying to kill me, having me walk around out here in the…"

"We're here!" Tracy interrupted Gabriella mid-ramble. They had arrived.

Club Paradise.

Gabriella remembered seeing the place a few times before driving on her way to work, but she'd never ventured inside, and from the looks and sounds of it, Club Paradise was definitely a hot spot around town.

Gabriella followed timidly behind Tracy as they maneuvered their way through the tightly packed crowd of dancing bodies. They squeezed into a tiny booth just opposite the dance floor and right in front of what looked to be a stage. Gabriella stifled a laugh at the cheesy "tropical" decorations; she didn't think Tracy would be amused by her poking fun at the tiki torches that adorned the corners of the club or the Chippendale-esque bouncers wearing grass skirts.

"So…what do you think?" Tracy's question brought Gabriella crashing back to reality, and she turned to look at her friend with a bemused look on her face.

"It's…um, well…it's… nice," Gabriella managed to choke out before the two women burst out laughing hysterically.

"Ok, ok, I admit…this place _is_ a bit a cheesy, but they serve the best pina coladas in town and I happen to believe the cutest guys in Chicago frequent this place," Tracy said. "And I should know because I come here on the regular, and honey believe me, there are some fine specimen up in here tonight!"

"Well, I guess I'll just have to taste and see," Gabriella replied with a huge smile on her face.

Tracy turned to look at Gabriella with raised eyebrows…

"I meant the pina coladas, silly" Gabriella explained as the two women left their booth laughing to order what else but pina coladas from the bar and sauntered their way onto the dance floor.

As the night drew on, Gabriella found herself having more fun than she could have ever imagined. Not only was Tracy right about the pina coladas, but she hadn't stop dancing from the moment she'd stepped on the dance floor; every time she tried to sit down, another guy would ask her to dance, and who was she to refuse such handsome men a good time with her?

Gabriella was having the time of her life; she was happily buzzed off pina coladas, had snagged a few phone numbers and hadn't thought about Ben and Jerry's, "ER" or "Ol' blue eyes" for the first time in who knows how long. Gabriella made a mental note to make sure she thanked Tracy for insisting she go out.

For once, everything seemed right in her life.

Gabriella stepped hurriedly away from the floor before another guy swooped her up to dance; she really needed to take a break, her feet were killing her. She hurried over to the bar and ordered herself another drink; she knew she would end up paying for it in the morning with a headache and a hangover, but at the moment she could really care less. She was simply having fun.

Gabriella gave the bartender his tip as she sipped on what was now her fifth pina colada of the night. She felt like she was on cloud nine, literally, until she felt herself colliding with another person, instantly losing her footing as she spilled the contents of her drink on the floor, and hurriedly plummeted to ground, only to be saved by an oddly familiar pair of strong arms.

She steadied herself upright, smoothing out her clothes and looked up with a face flushed in embarrassment to thank her savior, only to find herself face-to-face with the "Ghost of Christmas Past" himself…except this ghost had a striking resemblance to a certain Troy Bolton.

Gabriella blinked, shaking her head back and forth, thinking she was seeing things, that her mind was playing tricks on her and she was simply too intoxicated to be seeing clearly.

_Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh…I knew I shouldn't have drank so much! This can't be happening, not here, not now…not like this…it just can't be him… it just can't be…not **him**… _

But all doubts were washed away the moment he uttered her name… and she knew; she knew it was him because he was the only other person she'd ever allowed to call her by that name...

"Gabi?"

**Ha Ha!! So...the chapter you all have been waiting for...Troy and Gabriella have finally been reunited? What's going to happen next? I don't know yet (lol), but I'll have something good for you in the next few days. Just in case I don't post anything before the holiday...Merry Christmas to all and may God bless you and yours this holiday season. Don't forget to review!! Peace and love everybody...missB-real**


	6. The Second Time Around

**Chapter 6: The Second Time Around**

Troy couldn't believe it…the same vision he'd seen countless times in his dreams, the face that had haunted his thoughts for years on end, the same smile he'd only wished he could forget altogether was really standing right in front of him. It wasn't a dream…he could see her, smell her, touch her, feel her…but remarkably he couldn't bring himself to do any of those things; he could barely even speak. He desperately searched the crevices of his mind for anything, one word, just one, that would break the eerie silence that engulfed them both…but he just kept coming up empty.

Seeing her again was nothing like he'd ever expected…this was not the way their reunion was supposed to happen. No…they were supposed to see each other and instantly be so overcome with love and passion for one another that everything else would fade away: the memories of heartache and loneliness from the past would be replaced with feelings of insurmountable desire and longing that neither could ignore and upon their meeting they would be caught up in a tender embrace, once again uniting their souls and bodies into one solitary being and simultaneously setting right every wrong in their lives, all while violins played sweetly in the background.

Ok, so maybe it was a bit farfetched, but Troy never in a million years believed that he would see Gabriella again, at the very least in a cheesy club called Paradise, and at that very moment, Troy felt like he was anywhere but…

Troy just continued to gaze at the woman whose face wore an expression of shock that more than likely mirrored his own. In his daze, he finally conjured up enough sense to will his brain to command his mouth to speak…

"Hi." _Is_ _that the best you can come up with?_ Troy felt like the biggest idiot on the face of the earth.

Gabriella lifted her head to look at him. Her brown orbs were widened in shock and glistening with unshed tears as she gazed in amazement at the man standing in front of her. Troy, _her_ Troy, was actually standing at less than an arm's length away from her, and even though she had envisioned this moment several times in her own mind, she would have never thought it might actually happen. This was all just too unexpected for her…her life was methodical, orderly, and now the fates had thrown a monkey-wrench of chaos into her plans and totally messed up everything. Her mind was racing at an incomprehensible rate, so fast that she'd barely heard his cursory salutation. She was too occupied thinking about the complete absurdity of the entire situation. This type of thing was _not_ supposed to happen, at least not to her…and she had absolutely no earthly idea how to deal.

So, she did what she did best when faced with the most uncomfortable of circumstances…she ran.

Troy was just beginning to sort out his next thought in his mind when he saw Gabriella's retreating back racing out of the club. Before his mind even had a chance to warn him, his feet were carrying him out of the club, following right behind her.

"Gabi!"

She could hear the hollow sound of his footsteps chasing after her. She wrapped her arms around her stomach to shield herself from the freezing gusts of wind that nipped at her frail figure and kept running down the street, away from Paradise, and away from him. She stumbled blindly through the night; silently cursing herself for getting so carried away with those pina coladas, but mostly for allowing him to get to her like this. She couldn't blame the tears that were now freely streaming down her face on the drinks…no, those were definitely his fault.

"Gabi, come on…please! Just stop!"

Troy sprinted after her retreating figure in the darkness of the Chicago night. He ran after her until he finally caught up with her, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her towards him. Her eyes met his in a look of surprise and outrage.

"Let go of me Troy!" She struggled to break free from his grasp; she tried to pry his fingers off of her wrist, but his hold was too strong. And for a brief moment she reveled in the feel of his fingers against her flesh.

Troy took both of his hands to grab hold of her shoulders. "Gabi, please, just calm down! I just…I-I…" He paused and looked at her bewildered face…even in a fit of rage, she was still beautiful.

He let go of her and let his arms fall to hang loosely at his sides and in a fit of frustration let out an exasperated groan and ran his fingers through his thick hair. The truth was Troy hadn't the slightest clue of what to do next. Nothing in the world could've prepared him for this moment.

"I don't want to hurt you." Troy sighed, staring frantically into her shining brown orbs; the eyes that at one time had with one look been able to tell him everything. He'd gazed into those lovely eyes a thousand times all while uttering words of love and passion that had once filled his heart.

But now as he stood before her, her realized those eyes no longer existed; the fire, love, and laughter were gone. Instead, he saw doubt, anger and resentment…the longer Troy stood there, the more it became apparent to him that the fairytale romance he'd envisioned for the two of them just really could not exist.

Gabriella looked at him incredulously and scoffed.

"Oh, you don't want to hurt me?" She laughed contemptuously at him and threw her hands up in the air.

"You don't want to hurt me?! Well, it's a bit too late for that Bolton because you did…a long time ago. Or have you forgotten?!"

She spit the words at him vehemently, with every bit of anger, hurt and aggression that had built up within her for the last eight years. She'd spent a good part of her life pining over the love she'd lost all those years ago, but along with all the passion she felt, she could not and would not deny the angst and pain she'd harbored inside all that time.

Oh, there was no doubt about it; she was mad.

No, she was downright furious

_How dare he? How dare he show up here? How dare he think he have the right to chase me down the street like this and how dare he touch me?! Just who the hell does he think he is?_

And she was just about to voice her silent thoughts when she vaguely heard someone calling her name…

"GABRIELLA!!"

Gabriella and Troy turned to see someone running towards them, looking frantically as if searching for someone. Gabriella recognized the figure as Tracy and instantly felt a pang of guilt as she suddenly remembered how she'd abandoned her friend at the club.

"Tracy!!"

"What the hell are you doing out here?! You just ran out the club like that!! What's wrong with you, what happened?!" Tracy was rambling question after question at Gabriella; she was relieved to see her friend was alright, but at the same time, she was a bit pissed off. Gabriella's stunt had ruined her chances at snagging the number of a really good-looking lawyer who wanted to take her out the next night. It had been a while since Tracy had gone on a date with a good man and she wasn't too excited about passing up an opportunity like this one all because Gabriella was feeling a little bit uncomfortable. And she was about to tell Gabriella just that when she noticed a blonde-haired blue-eyed man staring at her.

"And who the hell are you?!" Tracy glared accusingly at Troy… she couldn't put her finger on it, but for some reason, this man seemed vaguely familiar, like she'd seen him somewhere before…

"He's nobody Tracy so come on, let's just go." Gabriella grabbed her friend by the arm and dragged her down the street before she had the opportunity to ask any more questions. With Tracy ambling behind her, Gabriella walked as fast her feet would carry her; she didn't care where they took her, she just needed to get away…away from Troy, away from the past and away from every emotion she'd bottled up inside for those eight years she'd spent alone. She'd forgotten how much pain she'd harbored since her break-up with Troy, and she really didn't feel like taking that trip down memory lane. So she ignored Tracy's probing questions and resisted the urge to look behind her at his forlorn face and kept on walking…yes, the further away she was from Troy, the better.

And all he could do was stand there in the bitter December cold and watch her walk out of his life…again.


	7. Won't Say that I'm Falling Love

**Oh my goodness...I know you all probably want to kill me it's been so long since I've updated this story, but I really do have a valid excuse. I haven't had much time to do anything besides school work considering this is my last semester of college and I'm working my butt off trying to graduate. Plus, I also had an extreme case of writer's block. I'm thinking there will probably be only 2 or 3 more chapters in this story before I end it. I'm sorta running out of ideas of what to do with the plot. But anyway, I hope this chapter makes up for the extra long wait...and keep the reviews coming...i love to read what you guys think of the story.**

**Chapter 7: Won't Say that I'm Falling in Love…**

_Beep….Beep…Beep…_

Gabriella slipped one arm out from underneath the covers and groggily groped around her bedside table for her alarm clock and threw it against the nearest wall. She was definitely not in the mood to be waking up at 6 a.m.…especially when she had never really gone to sleep in the first place.

How could she? Her life as she knew it no longer existed but for some strange, peculiar reason, the cosmos had unleashed all types of chaos upon her and now she was unable to even think straight, much less sleep.

All because of him…that stupid, imbecilic, lunkhead-basketball-boy Troy Bolton.

_Why me, God? Why me?? _Gabriella thought to herself as she opened her eyes and rolled over to lay stock-still in her bed. She just couldn't understand why _her _life had to be so messed up. She barely remembered the walk home from the club with Tracy. She just remembered willing herself to fight the insistent urge rising in the pit of her stomach to turn back around and run right into his arms. She'd promised herself years ago that if she ever got the chance to see Troy Bolton again, she would never allow herself to fall for him like she'd done before. Never again would she allow a man to break her so completely, and even though she felt every nerve in her body tingle with longing desire at just the thought of him, she could not, would not let herself love him.

It just didn't make sense… hell, nothing seemed to make sense. For one night, things seemed to be going Gabriella's way; she had literally been happy for the first time in a long time and it had felt good. She'd felt free to just be herself…the way she used to feel when she was with Troy. But then out of nowhere, he'd shown up and her life had come crashing back down into ruin. But why? Why couldn't she just let him go? Why did it seem like he could take her from unbelievable heights and dreams of love and passion and then all in the same breath plummet her heart to the lowest of lows without a warning's notice? How had she lost control?

Gabriella grabbed her pillow, stuffed it over her face and screamed until she couldn't breathe.

Sitting up in her bed, she closed her eyes and sighed, commanding her mind to stop its restless wandering and tried to clear her head. She let her mind take her back to a time in her life when she had been truly happy…and every thought led back to East High, to the sleepless summer nights she would spend chatting and joking with Taylor, to the hours upon hours she had spent in that auditorium rehearsing for Ms. Darbus and her musicales, to the countless silly and meaningless conversations she'd shared with her friends in the cafeteria at lunchtime, and all the indescribable firsts she'd spent with him…with Troy.

She knew there was really no point in denying it…he was what made her happy; he was what had made her years at East High so memorable, so wonderful. And his absence was the reason why she was now so miserable.

Even after their break-up in college, she'd never been able to let him go. That was why she had moved. She'd hoped a clean break and a fresh start would help her to heal the hurt, but instead, it had only made her miss him more. No one had ever been able to capture Gabriella's heart the way Troy had. He'd been her savior, the only person who'd even cared enough to take the time to get to know the real her, and he'd loved her like no other.

Troy was the love of her life; she'd never be able to love another man like that…and she knew it.

It was nearly 6 a.m. before Troy made it back to his hotel room. He'd spent the remainder of the night wandering aimlessly around the lifeless streets of downtown Chicago, not even paying attention to the biting cold nipping at his neck or the splitting headache growing between his eyes. He'd felt his earth shatter that night; she'd managed to break him in one instant and now he was utterly at a loss of what to do next.

His brain was steadily wrestling with his heart to write her off for good this time, but even after coming up with a growing list of reasons as to why he should spend the rest of his life utterly despising Gabriella Montez, he couldn't. He knew he could never despise her or forget her, or even admit that he didn't love her because it would all be a lie…besides, he'd spent the last 8 years of his life doing that and it hadn't changed a thing.

But neither had seeing her tonight…he wasn't quite sure what had compelled him to chase after her; he could only blame it on the hopeless romantic that still lingered somewhere inside of him. He just couldn't figure it out, why he felt some undeniable need to be with her, an overwhelming desire to feel her, touch her, kiss her, love her…she obviously couldn't stand him, but he was still head over heels in love with a woman who could care less about him.

Troy fished around in his pockets for his key card, opened the door and lazily threw his keys and other belongings onto a nearby table, peeled off his coat and kicked off his shoes. He laid down still dressed in his clothes from the night before between the sheets of his unmade bed. His headache was pounding in his ears and his body was begging him for sleep, but his eyes wouldn't shut.

All he could think about was her. Even in all her anger and all his hurt, something in Troy told her she still loved him. He knew without a shadow of a doubt he still loved her, and even believed after all that had happened between them that they still had a chance.

Gabriella was his woman, and as he jumped up from bed putting back on his shoes, he realized the only way he was going to get her back was to fight for her. And with that, he got up and walked out his room in search of the woman of his dreams.

**Ok...so I'm not exactly thrilled with this chapter, but I think it's pretty ok...let me know what YOU think by hitting that nice button right over there to the left of your computer screen...until next time...peace and love!!**

**Miss B-Real**


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